Cleo h



4 Sheets-Sheet 1 R. F. BACON FABRIC TREATING MACHINE Filed July 19. 1922 m Sv u L rl j V N llll lilbl R. F. B'AcoN FABRIC TREATING MACHINE Filed July 19. 1922 4 sheets-sheet z LCU///l-j l l: jg d i h v E 2/ ,9

1 40 J i* l l 40 75 I v 57 Y 57 56 ZZ f6 ff' j; f3 J9 -20 Oct. 9, 1923. 1,469,765

R. F. BACON FABRIC TREATING MACHINE Filed July 19. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Oct. 9,1923.

R.F.BACON FABRIC TREATING MACHINE Filed July 19. 1922 4 SheetsSheet4 Patented Oct. 9, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAYMOND F. BACON, OF NEW YORK, CLEO H. KIDWELL, OF NEW BRIGHTON, NEXV YORK, AND PERRY H. BASCOM, 0F BOUNDBROOK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, .TO VAN HEUSEN PRODUCTS, INC., A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE.

FABRIC-TREATING MACHINE.

Application filed July 19, 1922. Serial No. 575,958.

To ZZ whom t may con-oem.

Be it known that we, RAYMOND F. BAooN. of New `York city, county and State of New York, Onno H. Kmwnnn, of New Brighton, lliclnnoi'id County, .New York, and PERRY H. Basooiu, of Boundbrook, Somerset County, State of New Jersey, all citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fabric-Treating lvlachines, of which the following is a description.

This invention relates to improvements in fabric treating,Y machines and more particularly to machines adapted to treat fabric or certain portions thereof with fluids.

ln the copending applications of Raymond if, Bacon and Cleo l-l. Kidwell. Serial Nos. 544,32() and 548,604-, tiled March lo, 1922 and April l, 1922, respectively, the treatment of fabric with a solution of sulphuric acid is described. As set forth in these applications, the method by which the material is treated depends in part on the thickness and weight of the fabric and also on the tigijhtness of the weave. For eXa1nple, a heavy fabric such as multiple ply interwoven fabric made up of a plurality of layers of fabric bound integrally together by binder or interweave threads, requires some positive means of forcing the acid into and through the fabric. On the other hand, a li nt flimsy fabric as, for example, handkerrhief cloth. does not require the acid to forced or drawn through but may, for its treatment, simply be dipped in the desired solution.

The present invention relates to a machine adapted to treat woven fabrics of any weight or weave, and particularly heavy tightly woven fabrics, it being;` provided with means for forcing' or drawings,V the solution through thelfabric. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention we do not treat the entire fabric but only certain portions thereof, the said treated portions being spaced at any desired distance along th@ strip of fabric, Y

lVe will now describe roughly the construction and operation of the machine of our invention, the details of which we will discuss hereinafter in connection with le drawings. The machine proper consists of a suitably supported metal top or table previded with two sets of rollers. one set at each end of the table. The fabric to be treated passes through the first set of rollers. which are not actuated but simply 2guide the fabric and maintain a slight tension thereon, and, after the treatment, through the second set of rollers which are actuated and draw the fabric through. The treated' fabric is then picked up by a series of prongs or projections on a conveyor belt and transferred to a series of baths in which the acid or other solution is washed out. The fabric then passes out'of the baths and through a series of het rollers which press the moisture out of the fabric and then dry it, thus completing the treatment.

Supported on the table of the machine are two large n'ieinbers between which the .abrio passes, one member being directly above the other. le shally hereafter rc ler to the upper member as the platen and the lower member as the bed plate. The bed lplate is set into the upper surface of the table and is stationary, while the platen is set between two verticalv guide rails and is free to more up or down. This movement of the platen is occasioned by two rains on which rest two corresponding arms project`A ing down from they platen, While we have referred to the upper member or platen as being" the reciiln'oeatingf member, it is. of course, obvious that either or both of the upper and lower members may be reciprocatory, the important thinebeiner that the two members are relatively movable.

The platen. is constructed in the forni of hollow shell. That is, it is made so that the chemical solution with which the fabric is to be treated can be contained therein. The lower face of the. platen is made of a hard porous material which will. under ora dinary atmospheric pressure conditions, hold the solution without permitting any leakage there through. This material, however, will allow the solution to pass through when pressureV is applied to the upper su r faceV of the solution, or when suction is applied tothe lowerJ face of the porous; mateH rial, and is .ftlierefoijelpcrvions that r xtent. 'The upper surface of the bed plate is, also constructed of pervious material, and the pervi'oii" portions of both the planten and hed plate fare of the same sine and shape so that when the platen is brought down over the bed plate, the pervious portion of the former covers the pervions portion of the latter. Under the tableand connected to the bed plate is an air tight chamber with a drain vpipe fand` valvethrough which any a'ccumigrlration of the chemica-` solution may be drawn olli,v and also anair pipe connected to :nvacuuinv4 pump y,which continuously pumpsy air ,out .ofthe chamber.

In theopera-tion of the machine, th'e fabric is drawn bythe rollers `above mentioned.

between .the platen and bed plate while the platen xis vraised. Then the desired length cfu-.fabric has'been pulled through thedriven fil rol lerfstops thus leaving the fabric suspended `betweenfthe rollers at each end of the machine and atthe center'of the machine Ylying` as, aforesaidl in a flat strip betweenthe platen and bed plate.r The platen then movesdownand presses the fabric firmly lbetweenits /lower face and, the upper face of the. ,bedplate Immediately asuction isproduced; by the y evacuated chamber under the-bed platel andthe solution ,passes through the pervious material of the platen, through ythe fabric which is pressed between the ,'membei's, throughthe pervious material ofi the lower; jaw," and into the chamber. The. fabrie is thus completely saturated with thesolution at that portion thereof whichlies betweenthe perrious faces of the bed' plate and platen.l lt will. be obvious that the entire lower face -of the `platen and the Ventire upper faceof the bed plate may be made vof pejrvous, mato-rial 'or only those portions 4thereof `fdesired, dependino .on whether allnronly a .certainrpartof the fabric betweenth'e membersis to be treated.

When enough solutionhhas been drawn through 4the fabricto treat it thoroughly,

the platen moyesdipjward, `thus breaking' olf they suction ofthe )bed plate and chamber and stopping the4 flow-of acid. Also the fabric is now released fromits position between the members and-the driven roller he-A gins to .operate and draws the fabric through to the nei-it port-ion which itl is desired to treat. The operation is then repeated for each successive treatment of the fabric. v l

Our1 inventionwillbe further described in connection with the accompanying draw- Fig'. 6 is a sectional view taken on Vthe line of Figi. 3, and u Fig. 7 isaplan view of the bed plate. ln the drawings we have illustrated a ymachine adaptedfor use in the manufacture of collars, and Vmore particularly of collars made of` multiple ply interwoven fabric. As described in the copendinn` application of Raymond F. Baconyand Cleo H. Kidwelfl, Serial llo. 5l8,GOt, filed April l, 1922, the multiple ply interwoven fabric is treated with sulphuric acid along al narow strip or Zone following the outline of the collar. After the treatment has been completed' the collar is cutout along; the treated zone and the cut edgesof the collar are, in effect, selvalrged. rl`hat is, the cut edgesV will notravel orf'fray and the necessity for a bindingf on the cut-edges isA obviated.

'lt willrbe understood that we do not intend to 'limit ourselves to :the vmachine illustrated or to the detailed description hereinafter set forth, but that many variations may bemade inthe construction thereof depending, for example, on the shape or sizeof the portion it is desired to treat, and on the nature and type of chemical solution which is used. i

"Similar numerals refer to similar parts tlnfoughout the several views.

The entire apparatus lof the preferred. em-

bodiment of our invention is diariammati-V cally illustrated in Fig'. l. ln theifipnrc, thc fabric l enters the tension rolls2.y passes belon tween the platen 3 and the bed plate fl which i are vshownin their separated position. and

out through the driven rolls 5. lt will be noted that the rolls 5 are provided with Toughened surfaces such as a series of sharp projections to `insure a firm and positive grip on thefabric. After passing through the rolls 5 the fabric is 'Caught in a series of loops by the prongs or projectionsV G extending from thc conveyer belt 7. The con veycr belt is driven by the `chain fl from the sprocket 9, the operation of which will be hereinafter fully described. The speed of the said conveyor belt is timed so 'that exactly one minute elapsesv from the time the fabric leavesthe rolls 5 until itis deposited in the bath l0. The rolls il which pass the fahric from the conveyor to the bath may be actuated in any desired'manner..A `.lhese must,

of course, be timed to take up the fabric at the aown in Fig. l are coimccted by the pipe l2, a continuous current ol water or ot an alkaline solution passing from inlet pipe 13 through bath il", through pipe l2 into bath 10 and into outlet pipe '1.41. It may be found desirable to separate baths l and li and to use rtnning water in bath l0 and an alkaline so lation. tor example anilnoninm hydroxide, in bath ll. Rolls 'lo and. 16 may be driven from the same source as rolls il. llolls l? are heated and the fabric dries on pas-sinnT through them. .Any other suitable drying' means may be employed it desired. it may be tound desirable to heat also rolls 'i6 in order to insure the thorough drying;v et the treated fabric.

rFhe ,c rain 18 is lead lined and is intended to catch any acid that may drip from the tabric as it is passingr to the baths.

As betere stated. the platen is so constructed that it may be raised or lowered. The arms 19 (Fig. 2) are cast integral with or. it desired. bolted to the metal 'frame 29 el" the platen and are provided with ears 2t which slide on the guide rails The two arms which `extend downward trom the platen. rest on the cams 3. These cams are fastened to shaft 24 which .is driven by the motor shown in Fig. 1. The shalt Bft turns in the bearings 26 `which are supported by L beams 27, said L beams running' the length ot the machine and being bolted. to the legs 28. AThe `guide rails 22 are secured with 'bolts 29 to ears 30 extending 'trom the metal cross piece 31 (Fig. 5). In Fig. G the ears 2l which are attached to the arm i9 are shown running' on the guide rail 22, The cam .23 sliding on the bottom tace oi't arm i9 is attached to shaft 'The platen 3 has a removable inner portion Y(Figi/z 2) in which is contained the acid solution 34. This removable portion is made up of a pervious portion 35 and a portion 8G ot. cast lead or other suitable ini.- pcrvious material. The pervious portion is made up oit a hard porous substance which is not atliected by sulphur-ic. acid and which has a. suilicient degree ot porosity to allow the acidic tlow through it when suction is applied to its under surface, and which will retain the acid without leakage when the suction is removed. Materials such as white sand (silica) mixed with a suitable bindez; tor cxai'nple. l'iolin. and baked in the desired shape will give goed results. We have found. lanvever., that alundum (aluminum oxide with a icate binder) gives the best results and we prefer to use Vit rather than white sand. The degree of porosity ot the ahmdum maf;Y vary, dependinr` on the solution used and also on the anioimt ol' suction available. le prefer to use alundum which will allow sulphnric aoid (7F by weight) to pass through freely under a difference in pressure of about to cms. ot' mercury. The narrow portions 37 are those through which the acid flows when suction is applied. The rcmaininoV portion of the lower surface of the pervious material or ceramic is Covered by the plate 38 which acts both as a covering to prevent acid from passing; through and also as a supporting iember. rlhe narrow portion 87 follows ne outline ot a collar as illustrated in Fig. so that when the acid is drawn through he Afabric the treatment will be limited to 'he narrow Zone 37 describing the outline or contour ol' a collar.

in making` the removable portion we have found it advisable first to malte the perviene ceramic. and. when it is completed, to pour molten lead around it in a torni so that the eide walls 36 of' the removable portion are lead and also so that the lead will flow in around the irregular shaped ceramic and. malte a tight joint at the portions 39. The removable portion held in place by thev plates 4t() attached to the platen frame or by any other suitable means which may it de i ed overlie the entire Huid container and serve cover for it. lt will be obvious that tor different sizes and styles oit collars ceramics having; effective pervious outline ot different shapes and sizes will. be necesserj,r and Alor this reason it is necessary to have .a series of ren'iovable and interchange able portions The outside dimensions ot the removable portions will remain constant. the outline or shape ot the narrow sone 37 being' the only variable.

Directly below the zone 37 ot the upper aw is the bed plate rone ot identical width an d shape, and also made ot similar pervious material. The lead portion Al-.O ot the bed plate is cast around the pervious iliortion 4l oi" the bed. plate in the same manner as above described in connection with the platen. So also the bed plate is removable, it beingy secured to the taljr'le by bolts LEE placed t irougfh holes ft2. Whenever the removable portion oi the platen is changed a corresponding; change must be made in the bed plate.

Under the bed plate is a vacuum chamber #tf-'5. The upper `walls ol this chamber are Ytermed by the lead portion ol the bed plate.

The sides and bottom ol' the cavity are the ieau lined inner surface ot the castingT 3l. lr the laid portion l0 ot the bed plate v. d direc. jf under the pervious :cones 37 a c number oit very small holes are drilled. drilled lead portions are indicated at ifi in Fie'. and they extend troni the pervious material at the top to the chamber at the bottom. The drain pipe l5 is connected with a closed tank into which flows the acid that is drawn into the chamber 43. The tank is provided with a suitable valve so that the acid may be drawn or pumped off. The pipe'46 .shown .in Fig. l'extends into the chamber 43. This` pipe Ais connectedl plateare apart,y a. steadjfeurrent oil air drawn through the pcrrious material oit the bcdipla'te at the one 57, through the drilled lead-.44, into the partially evacuated chainiier 43, down the air pipe 4G, through the container 47 into the vacuum tank 4S and out through the puinp 4). Wilhen the platen is denn Von the bed plate with the 'fabric pressed therebetween the fr inlet is cut olii' and the suction`is ener l on the acid 34 in the platen. The acid is drawn through the 4Zone 37 ol the platen, througgjli the fabric, through the zone 37 ot' the bed plate,= throunh the drilled lead 44 and into the el'iainber l 3. lt istlien filraiueil oli" through pipe 45. The operation ol' the platen is, houfever, tinieil so that-as soonV as the :fabric is thoroughly treated, the Aplaten raised and no more acid is drawn through. This minimizes the ainount o if acid which is sucked through into the chamber 43. i i

Thedri'ving and timingnieehanisin of the machine is `illustradted inllipgs. 3 and 4. The motor 25 drives the niain shaft 24 through a Worin gear andpinion or by any other desired means. On the shap 24 are the two .J .lli carne' 23 Which raise and lower the platen. Also on the shaii't 24 is the rear 50 Which meshes with theidler gear 5l.. Gear 5l. is on shaft 52 whichI is supported through a bearing and lnfaclet by the L beam 27. The idler gear 51 meshes With gear 53 'which is onlsh'a'it 54 also supported by l.. beam 27. 0in the shalt 54 'is :i .mutilated gear 55. Thatis, in the gear the teeth are not cut all the 'Way around the circumference but' a certain portion of the circumference leitt blank.` 'This gear meshes with gear 5G which has exactly Athe same number of teeth as there are' in v`:rear 55, and which also has a short curved portion 57 alone; which the blank portion the gear 55`Will slide Wheiii these two portions ot' the gears 55and 5G come together. Genn' 58 is on the sanie shaln t as gear 57,1both el: said pears being keyed or otherwise attached to the shalt. Gear 58 neshes with irreal' 59 which is on the saine shaft as `the roller 5, and `which when turned, will operate the said roller. The nninber of teeth' `which are left out et gear 55 and the consequent length et time during ivliich the blank portion 'o'l" gear 55 is sliding;` over the portion 57 et gear 5G, correspond 'with the time during; which, through the action oic the canes the )laten is ressin on the labrlc.

That is to say, when the platen is holding the fabric down, the rolls 5 are not operatin g and as soon as the jawsare separated the rolls are started, and the fabric is drawn through until the platen has alniost reached the fabric on its downward course. The

Vlength of' 'fabric which is drawn through by the rolls ina/ v be varied by changing 'the sizes el gears 58 and 59.

In Fig. 3 the platen is shown in its highest position. The cams 23 which raise the platen are in their central position,l and a further rota 'ion thereof will start the platen dmvnivard. lt will be noted that the gears 55 and 5G arenieshed so that just halty the teeth on each ofthe gears are on each side et the point of' contact. In other Words, the gears 5S' and have operated the rolls 5 so that one hall et the newV strip et' abric has been pulled through. NOW, as the cains continue to turn and the platen descends, the gears 55, 5G 58 and 59 will continue to opcrate and the `fabric will continue to be pulled through until the platen is just clear ot the Jfabric. At this point the blank portion et the gear will engage with the blank portion 57 of the gear 56 and the said gear 56 will cease to' operate. This Will stop the gears 58 and 59 ai'id'the rollers 5. The fabric,'th'erefore,` will not be pulled through and the platen Will then corne in contact with the Vbelt at a' uniform speed, the speed oit the conveyor having suchv relation to the speed with which fabric is ted through the rolls 5 'that the loops ot' fabric sheivn in Fig. l. Will be formed thereby. Y

It will be noted that the point ot tangeney of therolls 5' and also' of the rolls 2 is slightly above the level ot the bed plate. Then the platen is raised and the rolls 5 begin to pull the fabric through, the said fabric will be lifted. clear of the bed plate. This is to prevent Vthe acid from smearing over the' fabric, as would' occur it the fabric was pulled across the surface of the' bed plate. The rolls 5, as illustrated in Fig. 4, are shaped so that only the edges et the fabric are gripped between thein. This t-,vpe oil? roll'is used to prevent the spreading oit the acidr over the untreated port-ions oil" the labric.` lt niay be found, however, that the degree ot' spreading` caused by ordinary c vlin'drical rolls is not harmful to the fabric, in which event the rolls illustrated may be substituted :tor the other type. 'f

VThe iabricto be treated may be either a straight fabric ora curved fabric. lt'the 'fabric is curved as described, for example,

Athe strips 6l.

in United States patent to Morgan No. 1,254,339, the rolls 5 and 2 may be slightly tapered so as to allow for the curve in the fabric- Also it may be advisable to provide guides for the fabric as shown in Fig. 2./ As illustrated, the narrow strips of metal 6l are secured to the upper surface of the bed plate. These strips will be straight and par* all-el if a straight fabric is being used, and they will be curved if a curved fab ic is being used. As the platen moves` down the slots 62 in the platen will move down over The fabric will thus be provided with accurate guides and the correct placement of the acid treatment insured.

It may be found desirable to place a col.- oring matter in the acid solution so as to define sharply the portion of the fabric which has been treated. This would facilitate theV subsequent cutting out of the collars. Such coloring matter, however, should be of a type which will be completely talien out in the laundering or bleaching process.

rlhe terms and expressions which we have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and we have no intention, in the use of such terms and eX- pressions of excludingr any equivalents of the features shown and described, or portions thereof, but recognize that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

What we claim is: Y

l. In a fabric treatingmachine the combination of two relatively movable members between which the fabric is adapted to pass, means for moving one of said members relative to the other, fluid containing means mounted upon one of said members and means, including pervious elements mounted upon both of said members, for causing fluid to flow through the fabric when the latter is located between said members.

2. In a fabric treating machine the combination of tworelatively movable members between which the fabric is adapted to pass,

, means for moving one of said members relative to the other, fluid containing' means mounted upon one of said members and means, including pervious elements mounted upon said members and vacuum producing means operatively connected to one of said elements, for causing fluid to flow through the fabric when the latter is located between said members.

8. In a fabric treating machine the combination. of a bed plate and a reciprocating platen between which the fabric is adapted to pass, means for moving the platen toward and from the bed plate to grip and release the fabric. fluid containing means mounted upon the platen, and means for causing fluid to flow through the fabric when the latter is gripped between said bed plate and platen.

Ll. In a fabric treating machine the combination of a bed plate and a reciprocating platen between which the fabric adapted to pass, means for moving the platen toward and from the bed plate to grip and release the fabric, fluid containing means mounted upon the platen, and means, including pervious elements mounted upon both the bed plate and the platen., for cruising fluid to flow through the fabric when the .latter is gripped between said bed plate and platen.

5. In a fabric treating machine the combination of a bed plate and a reciprocating platen between which the fabric is adapted to pass, means for moving the platen toward and from the bed plate to grip and release the fabric, fluid containing means mounted upon the platen, and means, including pervious elements mounted upon both the bed plate and the platen, and vacuum producing means operatively connected to the pervious element which is mounted upon the bed plate, for causing fluid to flow through fabric which is gripped between said bed plate and platen.

6. In a fabric treating machine the combination of a bed plate and a reciprocating platen between which the fabric adapted to pass, means for moving the platen toward and from the bed plate to grip and release the fabric, means for drawing the desired length of fabric through while the bed plate and platen aie separated, fluid containing means, including a chamber having at least part of the bottom thereof made of alun dum, mounted upon the platen, and means, including a chamber having at least part of the top thereof made of alundum mounted upon the bed plate, said alundum portion being of the same size and shape as that in the platen, and vacuum producing means operatively connected to the bed plate chamber, whereby fluid is caused to flouY through fabric gripped between the bed plate and platen.

7. In a fabric ytreating machine the combination of two relatively movable members between which fabric is adapted to pass, means for moving one of said members relative to the other fluid containing means mounted upon one of said members, means for causing fluid to flow through the fabric when the latter is located between said members, a washing chamber, and conveying means adapted to convey the fabric from said members to said washing chamber.

8. In a fabric treating machine the combina'tion of a bed pla-te and a reciprocating platen between which fabric is adapted to pass, means for moving the platen toward and from the bed plate, fluid containing means mounted upon one of said members, means for causing fluid to flow through the fabric when the latter is gripped between the bed plate and platen, a washing champelvous elements, mounted on Said Inambers` and constructed and arranged te force l0 the fluid thou'g'h the fabric when the members are in close proximity.

YMQD 4 BC, CLEO H. .KIDWELn PERRY H. BASCOM. 

